Nurser



June 28, 1960 c. R. Pom-House ETAL 2,942,746

NURSER Filed May 3l, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 l Arron/vir June 28, 1960 c.R. PoRTHousE l-:TAL 2,942,746

NURSER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 3l, 1957 lVV//hawf E. MCI/7 fos Cy/v/f?. Por/house INVENTORS BY@ United States Patent O NURSER Cyril R.Porthouse, Kent, and William B. McIntosh,

Akron, Ohio, assignors to The Pyramid Rubber Company, Ravenna, Ohio, acorporation 'of Ohio Filed May 31, 1957, Ser. No. 662,795

3 Claims. (Cl. 21S-11) This invention pertains to nursing bottles,better termed nursing units or simply nursers, i.e., a bottle or othercontainer for liquid having a nipple at the mouth of the bottle throughwhich the liquid can be withdrawn. The invention pertains 'particularlyto nursers having some means for admitting air to the nurser as liquidis withdrawn, thereby preventing a vacuum from building up inside.

This application is a continuation in part of our prior copendingapplication S.N. 453,292, tiled August 31, 1954, entitled Nurser, whichwas a continuation-inpart of our application S.N. 441,784, filed .Tuly7, 1954, now abandoned, which was tto-pending therewith, entitled NursenA vacuum makes it dicult to suck liquid from a nurser and ultimatelycauses. the nipple to collapse completely, preventing further withdrawalof liquid. When an infant cannot easily suck liquid from the nurser itbegins to swallow air which causes stomach distress known as colic. v

On the other hand, if a nurser is too freely vented the liquid will flowout of the nipple by gravity withoutany sucking by the infant. Fillingthe infants mouth with liquid when it is not prepared to receive it maycause the liquid to run down the windpipe instead of into the stomach,thereby preventing normal respiration and also irritating the lining ofthe windpipe, this type of distress being known as choking or gagging.

A nurser which is vented sumciently to prevent substantial vacuumbuildup but not so much as to allow substantial gravity feed may be saidto -be properly vented. However, the degree of venting corresponding toproper venting may occupy a certain range within which changes in thesize of the Vent opening will serve to regulate the rate of flow fromthe uurser.

lt is an object of the invention to provide a nurser having ventingmeans which can be adjusted to bring the venting within the properrange. A

it is a further object of the invention to provide a nurser havingventing means which can be adjusted wihtin the rmge of proper venting toregulate therate of liquid ilow from the nurser.

It is'another object of the invention to provide anurser l which willnot leak liquid through the venting means.

A further object of the invention is to provide better means forsecuring the` nippleV to the mouth of the liquid container. t

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the.following description of preferred. embodiments thereof in which:`

Figure lis a vertical section through a nurser embodyingthe invention;

Figure 1A is a front elevation of the nipple shown in Figure 1; l

Figure 2 is a bottom view of the screw cap forming part of the nursershown in Figure l;

Figures 3 and 4 are vertical sections through a nurser l embodying theinvent-ion showing a modied form Mice thereof, the sections being takenon lines 3-3 and 4-4 of Figure 5;

Figure 5 is a top view of a bottle used in the nurser of the Figures 3and 4 embodiment of the invention, and also for comparison showing at 11 the plane of Vthe Figure 1 section;

Figure 6 is a horizontal section through the top of the nurser of theFigures 3 and 4 embodiment taken on line 6-6 of Figure 7; and

Figure 7 is a vertical section on the line 771ofrFig ure 6.

Figure 8 is a plan View of a seal disc suitable for use with eitherembodiment of the invention;

Figure 9 is a quarter section showing the nurser of Figure 1 with thenipple inverted and the seal di'sc in place to seal the nurser forstorage or travel; and

FigureslOA, 10B, and 11 are fragmentary vertical sections showing`further modified forms of the invention.

Referring now to Figure l there is shown a nurser comprising a glassbottle or other liquid container 11, only the upper portion of which isshown. The bottle is provided with a decorative bead 12 around its neckand a screw thread 13 near its mouth. The lip 14 is rabbeted at l5around its outer periphery.

Over the mouth of the bottle is disposed a rubber nipple 21, also shownseparately in Figure 1A. The nipple has a tubular discharge tip 22, theupper end of which is closed except for one or more smalldischargeo'penings (see Figure 3). ri`he lower end of the tip mergeswith a hollow hemispherical body portion 23. There is an annularshoulder 24 around the lower part of the body portion 23. ree or moreradial lugs such as that shown at 25 depend from the underside ofshoulder 24. The lower end of the body portion 23 merges with acylindrical conduit portion 25. Three or more vertical ribs such as thatshown at 26A project radially'from conduit 25, preferably being disposedunder lugs 25'. At the lower end of the conduit portion is an exteriorradial ange 27 which rests on lip 14 of the bottle. The juncture of theyange 27 with conduit portion 26 is of reduced thickness, as shown at28, in order to permit easy ilexure. A plurality of holes, such as 29,30, extend through the nipple ange, the outer edges of the holes beingtangent to the inner edge of the bottle lip.

A Bakelite cap 4%, also shown separately in Figure 2, holds nipple 2l onbottle 11. The cap has a flat circular disc shaped top portion 41through the center of which is a hole 42 of slightly larger diameterthan the outer diameter of the conduit portion 26, of the nipple,leaving an annular passage 39 therebetween, but of smaller diameter thanthe outer diameter of shoulder 24. The thickness of the top portion ofthe cap is equal to the distance between the top of flange 27 and thebottoms of lugs 26. On the lower face of the top portion 41. is acircular -bead or axially extending circular flange 43. Depending fromthe outer edge of top portion 41 is a'cylindrical skirt 44 which has aninternal screw thread 45 which meshes with thread 13 at the bottlemouth. Around the outside of the skirt are disposed three group ofthree' vertical flutes S1-S9 (see also Figure 7). f

The inner idarneter of the skirt 44 is substantially equal to the outerdiameter of m'pple flange 27, and radius of hole 42 is substantiallyequal to the radial distance from the nipple axis to the extremity ofribs 25A, whereby the nipple 2l is positively centered in cap 4t) andhencel on bottle 11.

In assembling the nurser the nipple tip and body are pushed through thehole in the cap, the nipple collapsing enough to allow shoulder 24 topass through the ,hole and then expanding again so that shoulder 24overlaps the inner periphery of the cap, locking the cap between' thenipple llange and the lugs under the shouldero'n' the 3 nipple. 'Ihe capis then screwed on to the bottle, thereby holding the nipple over thebottle mouth. The bead 43 presses into the top of the ange and the lipVpresses in to the undersideY of the ange, thereby locking the '-mpple1n place against radial inward strains created by VV(tugging on thenipple during feeding.

In operation, as liquid is withdrawn Yfrom'the nurser throughthe tip ofthe nipple, the'lowered pressure in the nurser causes the nipple ange toflex Yinwardly under atmospheric pressure, thereby creating an air pas-`sage Vbetween the top of the flange and underface of the fc'ap-leading'to the holes 29, 30; then entersV the nurserrto equalize the pressurebetween therinside there- 'of-andthe atmosphere, v4thereby-preventingnipple coli lapse and making vit easier to withdraw'more liquidV fromthe nurser. Y I Y, i i Y Y The path of 'the air entering the nurser isindicated -by'the' arrows in Figure Yl. lTheV air Venters over the toplportion 41`of cap 40, passing under shoulder 24 between -silmes itsoriginal position with the top of its ange in engagement withthe-underside of the top of the Cap, vtherebydcovering over the holes29, 30 and closingV the -passage between cap and flange leading-to theholes 29, 30.1:ron1 annularpassage 39.

vvThe yexact position of the holes 29, 30, .adjacent the inner edge o'fthe bottle lip is important. "If the holes were moved outwardly over thebottle lip, theyiwould be `partially or entirely blockedby the bottle.If the holes 'were spaced inwardly from the bottle lip, they might not'always be tightly blocked by the top of the cap when the`pre'ssureswere equalized, thereby allowing liquid to 'leak out of the nurser whenturned on its side or upside down as is usual during use. By placingtheholes next tothe inner edge of the bottle where the angeY of the nippleis clamped between the cap'and bottle, there is a strong force tendingto hold the portion of the nipple i vangeV around the holes tightagainst the underside of the cap. This is due partly tothe. thicksectionof the nipple ange and partly to the rigid support provided bythe the nurser fast enough to allow as fast discharge as will largeropenings. The range of regulation will lie within the total range ofadjustment and cover only thatportion of the totali-ange of adjustmentcorresponding to sufficient but not excessive venting.

Referring now to Figures 3 and 7, there is shown a nurser generallysimilato that's'hown in Figures l and 2. l

, Vbottle 111 is the same as bottle11 except-for the addi- .tion of'aplurality of radial lugssuch as the three lugs 161, 162, 163 extendingacross the lip of the nipple.

As shown best in Figures 3 and 5, lug 163 is disposed near the upper andlower ends 164, 165 of the thread A113 at the mouth of the bottle. Thethread 113 is the same as thread 13 of bottle 11, and is depressed at166, 167 over the Vvertical parting line between the two halves `of themolded glass bottle. As shown in Figure 5, the

two lugs 161, 162 are each .spaced 120 degreesY azimuth-- allyY aroundVthe vertical axis of the bottle from lug 163. The lugs 161,-162 thuslienear to they thread depressions 166, 167. Y i

When the screw Vcap Y1740 is tightened on bottle 111, the vnipple ange'127 is pressed down tight on bottle lip 114 V(see Figure 4) and therubber of the nipple ange flows Vto t closely around the'lugs`161, 162,163. Unless the cap is screwed on very tight, however, passages will be`left under the nipple ange and over Vthe bottle lip Von each vside ofeach lug. -See for example passages 168, 169 adjacent Vlug Y163 inFigure 3 and 7, shown greatly exaggerated in size for clarity.

The assembly of the nurser ofV Figures 3-7 is thesame as that of thenurser of Figures 1 and 2. The operation is similar.` However, in theembodiment of Figures 3-7 the passages for air flow are never closedwhen the nurser is in use, the natural resistance to liquid ow ofcapillary passages such as 168, 169 being relied upon to cap `and bottleimmediately adjacent to the holes which tends to keep the flangeparallel to and in contact with the'underside of the cap; Farther towardthe center ofY the nipple, there is a tendency for the nipple to sag,particularly as the thin section 28 is approached. By making the nippleange flexible, especially near the center,

and placing the holes as far from the center as possible, i

. from the nurser.

A most important advantage of placingj'the holes in the Anipple adjacentthe inner edge of the bottle lip lies in the fact that when so placedthe size of the holes prevent leakage of liquid from the nurser.

VYThe air intakes paths of the Figures 3-7 are best shown in Figures 3and.7. The air enters under the'lower edge of skirt 154v and passesbetween the bottle and cap at each of the thread depressions 166, 167 tothe nearby passages over the bottle lip adjacent lugs 162, 163, .andpasses between the bottleV and cap between the thread ends 164, 16S, tothe nearby passages 168, 169 over the bottle lip adjacent lugs 163.

I As best shown in Figures 6 and 7,-the bead 143 cooperates with thelugs 161, 162, 163, by concentrating thepressure and causing the rubberto ow in closer against the lug than at Vpoints not under the bead. Bead143 thus has a dual function inthe embodiment of can lbe Vadjusted byscrewing the cap up tighter or less tially incompressible Vat ordinarypressures, itfiows when .subjected to unequal pressure, and hence owsinwardly to close up `the holes 29, 30 when the cap isV screwed ontight.Y The sizeof the openings can Y.thus be adjusted ac- Y cording tothe degree of tightness of the screw. cap 'which tight on the bottle.Since rubber, like water, is ,substan- In addition, the Y'size of theopenings can be reduced-.or 1

enlarged within therange` of proper venting to regulate time: rate/ otteeding,.since small openings willjnot Yvent Fig1'1res`3-7.v As in thevFigures 1 and 2 embodiment, the size of the vent openings is adjustedby varying the tightness of the screw cap. In this way` vthe sizeof thekopenings can be adjustedjuntil brought with the range ofproperventingunder widely Vvarying circumstances, and

thereafter the flowrof the nurser, can be regulated within suchrangebyminor adjustments of the tightness of the screw cap. 'l 1 l, Y

l Referring now to Figure 8, there is shownV a Bakelite seal disc 200comprising a Yflat outer rim 201,` a'circular central `depressed area202A,Y 202B,.an upstanding semicircular flange 20,3, and an upstandingValmularilange or bead 204. j Y VFigure 9 shows how Vthe nurser isarranged forstorage and travel, the nipple21 Vbeing invertedA and theseal disc being disposed over the nipple andthe cap 40 screwed nrlac'@ver them with the .flange v2.04` extendiagthrough holed?, ltoneutralize the u,disc over the nipple. The depressed'area ofthe discseals against the conduit portion 2,6 of the nipple to prevent liquidleaking through the discharge holes such as 70 in the tip of the nipple,from escaping, and the rim 201 sealing over the vent holes such as 29to prevent leakage therethrough. Since the central area of ther disc isdepressed slightly below the rim 201, it causestthe nipple to he pusheddown into the bottle slightly so that the elasticity of the nurserpushes it tight against the disc -to form a tight seal.

'The' nurser of the Figures -3-7 embodiment is also sealed for traveland storage by means of the seal disc shownY inFigure 8, the dispositionof the discrelative to the nipple beingA the same as that shown inFigure `9. By screwing the cap on very tight the vent passages adjacentlugs 1.61, 162 can be completely closed. When it is desired to `use thenurser after storage, the cap is unscrewed and the nipple anddisc arepicked up together between thumb and foreiinger placed at diametricallyopposite 'sides of the peripheries thereof. The nipple tip is thenplaced in the hole in the cap and the body and shoulder of the nippleare pushed through using the seal disc as a pushing tool. The seal discis easily held by the iiange 203 between thumb and forenger. After thenipple has been locked in place inthe cap, the cap is screwed onto thebottle and the disc laid aside for future use. By this method ofassembly the nipple tip and body need not be touched with the hand.

It is to be noted that in both embodiments of the invention there isprovided a nurser which has venting means that can be adjusted to theproper range and -by minor adjustments within that range the iiow can beregulated. To the achievement of this fine control the vertical ribs151-159 forming a good hand grip make an important contribution.

The nipple shown in the Figures 1 and 9 embodiment may be used with thebottle of the Figures 3-7 embodiment, the cap shown in Figure 2 and thedisc shown in Figure 8 being the same in both embodiments. By combiningthe nipple shown in Figures 1 and 9 with the bottle shown in Figures3-7, a dual venting system is provided which permits a wider range ofadjustment. Such an arrangement is shown in Figure 10B. Also, in such adual venting construction, the holes in the nipple could be movedinwardly away from the bottle lip, as shown in Figure 10A, so as to beunaiected by the compression of the nipple ange by the screw cap. Insuch case the holes through the nipple flange would provide a constantamount of venting which would be made small enough so that a certainamount of additional venting over the bottle lip would be desirable andregulation would be accomplished by varying the size of the ventpassages over the bottle lip. A dual venting system makes possible theuse of lower ribs across the bottle lip since a part of the venting isthrough the holes in the nipple flange. This decreases any tendency forleakage over the bottle lip and enhances capability of smoothregulation.

Figure 11 shows a modification of the Figure l embodiment in which thesingle annular bead 43 on the underside of the screw cap is movedinwardly adjacent the inner edge of the bottle lip to the position shownat 43A whereby the bead serves not only to retain the nipple better butalso assists in Varying the size of hole 29 enhancing regulation of thenurser. If desired, an additional annular bead 43B may be providednearer the outer periphery of the bottle lip where it can more easilyforce the outer edge of the nipple down into rabbet 15. For clarity inshowing the rabbet 1S the rubber of the nipple flange is not shown aspushed down into the rabbet in any of the drawings although obviously itis actually so displaced. It may also be mentioned in connection withthe drawings that the outer edge of the nipple ange will preferablyactually be in contact with the inner periphery of the skirt of thescrew cap whose internal diameter at this point is equal to the internaldiameter of the crest of its screw thread. Thus the edge of `the nippleflange is closely v`supported on .sides `so that compression of the ange-Will more positively cause tlow of the rubber radially inwardly andvary the fsize of the vent hole 29.

The Figure 11 dual bead ,cap can `be used also With the bottle andnipple shown in Figure 3 .or Figure 10A or Figure 10B as well as withthe Abottle and nipple o f Figure l as shownin Figure 11. ,K

While preferred embodiments ofthe invention have been shown anddescribed, many modifications .thereof can be made by one skilled in theart `without departing from the `spirit of the invention and -itisdesired to protect by Letters Patent all forms of the linvention fallingVWithin the scope of the following claims.

We claim: j l

l. In a nurser comprising a bottle having a screw thread around itsneck, a rubber nipple having an annular flange extending radiallytherefrom, the youter portion of Asaid flange extending over and beingsupported by thelip of the bottle, and a cap having an apertureddiscrpQrtion ttng over the nipple ange clamping vsaid outer portion ofthe nipple flange to said bottle lip and having a depending annularskirt portion internally threaded to engage the bottle thread, the innerdiameter of said ange being smaller than the inner diameter of said lip,leaving an inner portion of said ilange unsupported by said bottle lip,said nipple flange having a vent hole of uniform crosssection extendingtransversely through said unsupported portion thereof, said disc portionof said cap normally engaging said inner portion of the nipple angeinwardly from said vent hole, the portion of the lip-facing surface ofsaid ange immediately adjacent said Vent hole being iiat and theterminus of said vent hole at said surface being coplanar with theundersurface of said outer portion of said flange that is supported bythe lip lof the bottle, said inner portion of the nipple flange havingan annular portion of reduced thickness located inwardly from said venthole providing flexibility to the nipple ange, Whereby there is provideda valve action in that on creation of a partial vacuum in the bottlesaid inner portion of the nipple flange exes away from the disc portionof the cap covering the top of said vent hole to relieve the vacuumfollowing which said inner portion of the ange returns to engagementwith the underside of the cap to close the top of the vent hole againstleakage of liquid from the nurser; the improvement according to whichsaid Vent hole through the inner portion of the nipple ange is locatedat the juncture of said outer portion and said inner portion of saidnipple flange immediately adjacent and tangent to the inner edge yof thebottle lip; and there is provided a rabbet around the outer periphery ofthe bottle lip cooperating with annular retaining means between theunderside of the screw cap and the top of the nipple iiange overlyingthe bottle lip to maintain precisely said location of said vent holedespite tension on said nipple during use, said rabbet receiving rubberowing from said outer portion `of said nipple lange in response toengagement of said annular retaining means between said cap and nippleiiange; said cap, bottle lip, and inner portion of said nipple iiangethen coniining said outer portion of said nipple iiange in that theunder surface of said disc portion of the cap fully and directly engagesthe top of said outer portion of the nipple flange, and the top of thebottle lip fully and directly engages the bottom of said outer portionof nipple flange, and the inner diameter of the upper portion of theskirt is las small as the inner diameter of theV crest of the threadinside the skirt, and the outer diameter of the nipple flange directlyand fully engages the inside of said upper portion of the skirt, thefact that the outer diameter of the nipple ange equals the innerdiameter tof the uppermost portion of the skirt also serving to positionsaid vent hole precisely initially; yand in addition to said annularretaining means there is provided between the underside of the `screwcap and the

